Traction chain



June 1,1926. 1587 6 97 C. G. WHITE TRACTION CHAIN Filed August 12, 19252 eets-Sheet 1 Patented June 1,1926. y 1,5

UNITED STATES P TENT- om CHARLES a. warm, or 51mm srn. MARIE, momenta.

,rriacrron cnnm. Application filed August 12,1925w93er1a11i0. 4 9,833.

This invention relates to improvements in The chain comprises a seriesof connected traction chains'and more particularly to :a links certainof which are indicated in gen traction chain for traction attachmentsfor eral by the numeral 1 and others in general automobiles of that typeembodying a re by the numeral2. Each of the links 1 complacement .wheelfor each rear wheel of the prises a, substantially oblong rectangularautomobile, a wheel supported adjacent bodyImember 3' having tractionflanges 4 thereto, and a traction chain passing about extendinglongitudinally of.its outer side the wheels. and driven from the rearaxle. at thefront and rear edges thereof, these One of the objects ofthe present invention flanges being preferably beveled or decreased 5 isto provide a chain of the class described .in thickness in the directionof their engagin which the links will base constructed in'g' edges soasto enable the link to exert that they will not be liable to becomeclogged. tractive force in traveling over hard snow withsnow and thusimpair the efliciency of orice. The body 3 of each link 1.is formed thechain. v x p with an opening 5 midway between its ends, 7

l'i Another disadvantage which hasattend and at opposite sides of the,opening 5, v ed the useot the ordinary traction. chain. of wlthopenmgs 6which are narrower than the attachments of the character referredto isaid o ening 5. The body 3 is further above, is that the-section orstretch of the forme upon its inner side with a pair of chain .whichpasses between the wheels-of parallel. upstanding combined reenforcing 7the attachment and in contactwith the-road and pintle bars-7 whichextend between the surface,'yields.. in'an upward "directionso openings6 and the open1ng'5and have 1 that the chain is subjected to greattension" their-end portions extended as at 8 beyond and itstractiveeliiciency is reducedxlTherethe front and rear sides ofthebodyof the fore, the present invention has fasanother ob; link andformed in their said extended end ject to provide a chain of the classdescribed portions '8 with openings 9 to accommodate in which thelinkswill be so constructed as the hinge pins or pintles to be presently detomaintain the, lower stretch of the chain scribed. An abutment member,indicated by taut while the chain is. .in motion, so that the numeral10, is arranged upon the inner upward yielding of the lower: orgroundside of the body 3 of the link 1 immediately 85 engaging stretchof the chain :will be prebeside each of the openings 6 and parallelvented and thus the full tractive effect of to the pintle bars 7,; andeach of these abutthe chain may be obtained. ment members comprises abar 11 provided Another object of the invention is to so with attachingears 12, a ,pair of which ears construct the chain that'any of the linksis formed at the outer side of the bar and '90 35 thereofmay be readilyremovedor discon presented to the inner side of the'body 3. nected inthe event of'breaking'ofa link; Bolts 13 are-secured through the ears 12and a new link substituted therefor. and through the body 3 of the link,and

In the accompanying drawings :L nuts 14 are threaded upon the bolts andFigure 1 is a side elevation of a portion tightened to bear against thesaid ears 12,

of a traction chain embodying the'ginvention, the heads of the boltsbearing againstthe thisiviewalso illustrating in'a general manouter sideof the body 3 as best shown in net the character of the automobileattach; Figures' i and5'of the drawings. The ends ment in connectionwith which the chain is or the-"bars 11. of the abutment membersemployed. 4 A i project beyond the front and rear sides of 45 Figure 2is a perspective view of a porfthe body3 to substantially the samedistance tionof the chain. a i y as the pintle bars 7, as indicated bythe nu- Figure 3 is a' plan view in detail of a pormerall5,-and each bar11 is formed upon its tionfof the "traction'chain embodying theinnerkedge at each end with an abutment invention, the viewillustrating'that side of boss 16 which is directed laterally outwardthechain which is ,opposite the road-engagly asbest shown in Figures 2 and3 of the ing side. drawings. 1

Figure 4 is a similar view illustrating the Each of the links 2comprises 'a body memu-oad-engaging side of the chain. berindicatedbythe numeral 17 and of ob-i Figure 5 is a transverse sectional viewlongrectangular form and of the same di- 1 5% taken substantially on theline 5- -5 of Figmensions as the body member 3 of the link 1, ure 3.and, as in the case of the link 1, the body the bolts bearing againstthe the body 17 of .as indicated by th member 17 of the link 2 is formedupon its outer side with traction spending to the flanges 4. The bodymemberis further formed with integral pintle bars 19 which extendparallel to each other and .at opposite sides of an opening 20 formedcentrally in the body member 17, and these pintle bars are spaced aparta suitiflanges 18 correcient distance to receive between theirproportions 21, the projecting end jectmg end portions 8 of the pintlebars 7 of the associated links 1, as clearly shown in Figures 2, 3, 4and 5 of the drawings. Abutment members indicated'in general by thenumeral 22 are provided upon, the links-2 and each of these memberscomprises a bar 23 corresponding to the barll previously described inconnection with the links 1, the bar 23 being provided upon its innerside with a pair of attaching lugs 24through which and the body of thelink 2 are secured bolts 25, nuts 26 being threaded upon thebolts tobear against the said lugs 24, the heads of outer side pf the link. Asin the case .of the abutment bars 11, the bars 23 are extended at theirends rear sides of the link body with which they are associated and eachbar is provided at its inner edge at each end with an abutment boss 27which is turned laterally inwardly e numeral 28. Pintle pins 29 arefitted thro ughregistering openings 1n'the projecting ends of the pintlebars 7 and 19 and abutment bars 11 and 23 and serve to pivotally connectthe links 1 and 2 in their alternately arranged relationship, as clearlyshown in Figures 3' and 4 of the drawings, cotter pins or othersuitablefastening elements 30 being assembled with the ends of the pintle pinsto'ret-ain them in place. It will now be observed by reference to thedrawings, and particularly Figures 2 and 3 thereof, that the projectingends of the abutment bars 23 and 11 are overlappedand that when thelinks 1 and 2 are in alinem'ent or, in other words, all occupy the sameplane, as is the case, as shown in Figure 1, in the stretch of thechain'which extends between the lower sides of the toothed tractionwheels W, the abutment lugs 16'and 27 of companion links will squarelyabut against each other so as to positively preclude any upward flexingof the said stretch of'the chain. and in this manner, full benefit isobtained from the tractive force exerted by the chain,

in passing over the-road surface. It will likewise be observed byreference to Figure 1, that as the chain passes around the tractionwheels W, the links will move about their pins'29 and the abutment lugswill mutually separate.

tension 'of the pintle bars 7 beyond the front and vimpair theefliciency of thechain. It will due to the exand 19 and the abutmentbars 11 and 23 beyond the front and rear sides ofthe bodies of thelinks, the adjacent sides of'the links are somewhat relatively spacedand, therefore, as the links pass around the traction wheels, theirrelatively adjacent sides will swing apart so as to-dislodge any snow orice which might have been accumulated in the passage of the links overthe snow-coveredroad surface.

It will be observed by reference to the drawings, that the opposingfaces of the abutmentbosses 15 and 27 are rounded on longitudinal lines,as indicated by the numeral 16, so that when the said faces of thebosses engage each other, any snow'accumulikewise be understood that,lating between the faces or upon the bosses will be squeezed out,thereby tending to clear the chain of such accumulations. The teeth ofthe traction wheel ride against anti-friction sleeves 31 which arefreely rotatably mounted upon the pintle pins 29 and which sleevesrotate between the members 8, as clearly shown, for example, in Figures3 and 4 ofthe drawings.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

A traction chain I comprising a series of links each including a bodymember having pintle bars upon its inner side, thepintle bars projectingbeyond the opposite sidesof the body and the pintle bars of alternatelinks being spaced apart a greater distance than the bars of theintervening links, whereby the projecting ends of the bars areoverlapped between relatively adjacent links, parallel abutment barsupon each link, theabutment bars having their end portions projectingbeyond the opposite 'sides of the respective links, the projecting endportions of theabutment bars of relatively adjacent links beingoverlapped, pintle pins fitted through the'pro'jecting ends of thepintle bars and"abut ment bars which are over- CHARLES e. WHITE. [n.s]

